Epilogue

Epilogue

Kendle

I’M CURRENTLY UNEMPLOYED. Again. I was working at a bar and didn’t handle a male customer putting his hands on me after I had already previously told him not to more than once. I’ve taken self-defense lessons since I was sixteen years old and put them to use. The bar’s owner happened to be there that night and is friends with the guy who was touching me when I told him not to. I’m sorry, but no means no and I don’t give a fuck who’s the one saying it. So, instead of being pissed on my behalf, my boss fired me on the spot and I doubt I’ll get paid. Kim gave me the contents of the tip jar after witnessing everything because she knows how our boss is. He’s a fucking pig and exploits his female employees for everything they’re worth. He doesn’t even allow the bouncers to step in when we don’t feel safe at work. I don’t honestly know why I took the job other than desperation because I need to pay the bills and stash money aside for my sister.

The only good thing that came from working at the bar is that I now have a card for a group that helps people in domestic violence situations. My sister, Kelsey, is definitely getting abused by her husband Martin. She pretends everything is fine in their relationship and that nothing is going on. I’ve seen the signs for a while though and know abuse when I see it. Kelsey and I grew up in a house where our father beat our mom on a daily basis until she eventually took her own life. I’m the one who found her in the bathtub and had to make all the calls, plan her funeral, and keep my sister from seeing what happened at the age of fourteen. Our father didn’t even show up for the funeral. After that, we barely saw our sperm donor and I took care of everything in the house, made sure Kelsey got to school, had food, and paid the bills with the small amount of money I was able to make by helping neighbors until I could finally get a job. Then I had to worry about where Kelsey would be when I wasn’t home. It was a never ending cycle and I know it’s not been broken when it comes to my baby sister.

The worst part is that my nephew is there when everything happens. He’s three years old and is the quietest kid I’ve ever met in my life. My nephew, Gideon, isn’t allowed to play, make a mess, get dirty, or make any sound when his father is home. Martin has gone after baby G and I’ve stopped him on more than one occasion. He’s fucking lucky I didn’t put his ass down and the only reason I didn’t is because my sister begged and pleaded with me not to. I honestly don’t understand how she can stay with Martin knowing he’s exactly like our father was. I’ve never been in a fucking relationship and only do one night stands because I refuse to give a man that kind of power over me or give him a chance to beat the living fuck out of me because he thinks I’m the weak one since I’m nothing more than a lowly female. If I could take Gideon away from my sister and her husband, I would in a fucking heartbeat. I’m just not in a position to take him when I can hardly support myself. I’ve still got a year before I gain access to the trust fund my grandparents and mom left me. I don’t get it until I’m twenty-five. My plan is to take Gideon and Kelsey away from Martin for good and hide where he’ll never find us.

Today, I’ve decided to go pay my sister and baby G a visit. Martin should be at work. Somehow he got a job as the assistant to the mayor of our town. I don’t know how the fuck he managed to get hired unless his mommy and daddy pulled some strings and got the job for him. It honestly wouldn’t surprise me because that’s how Martin operates. He depends on his parents to get him out of every bit of trouble he’s ever been in and get him the jobs he wants. I’ve only known him a few years and can see what a pampered, entitled bitch he is. He believes he owns my sister and Gideon and doesn’t love them at all. They’re nothing more than his property as is everyone else in his life. Including his mistresses. Yes, he’s got multiple women he’s cheating on my sister with and she knows because he always throws it in her face that he doesn’t need to fuck her because she’s nothing more than a dead fish. The fucker is lucky I haven’t gutted him yet.

Pulling up down the street from my sister’s house, because that’s what I have to do any time I go see her and my nephew, I shut the engine off in my old car and remove the keys from the ignition. Getting out, I lock the doors behind me and head straight for my sister’s house. It doesn’t take me long since I’m only about four houses down the road from her place. Yes, it is her house and only in her name because her trust fund paid for it. That’s the only time we can use it—to buy a house once we’re married until we’re twenty-five. By the time I make it in front of her house, I know something is wrong. Very wrong. Martin’s car is parked in the driveway and I can hear screams and something shattering coming from inside. I immediately race to the front door and find it unlocked. It’s not even shut all the way as I burst inside and head straight for the kitchen.

“You fucking bitch! I told you to clean up this fucking mess and when I come home for lunch, there’s dishes in the sink. How can you be so fucking lazy and not do anything around the house when you’re here all damn day long? You’re nothing more than a stupid fucking slut and I should’ve killed you right after we got married. Now, I’m stuck with your fat fucking ass and a kid I don’t fucking want,” Martin is screaming at my sister, his face red as fuck as he slams her face first into the edge of the sink.

Before he can make another move against my sister, I race up behind him and yank him off of her. He’s been beating on her for a while if her looks are anything to go by. She’s covered in blood and bruises are already forming on her pale skin. I toss Martin to the floor as I look up to find Gideon standing just outside of the kitchen with tears in his eyes and his little thumb in his mouth. My heart shatters in my chest that he’s once again seeing the violence inside his own home. I try to give him a small smile, but know it falls short because there’s nothing to smile about today. Not in this house.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing in my house?” Martin yells up at me, not bothering to get off the floor because he knows I can beat his fucking ass.

“First of all, this isn’t your house. This house belongs to my sister and is only in her name. I will come here whenever the fuck I want to and there’s nothing you can do to stop me. Second of all, you can get the fuck out before I get the police here. Do you really think the mayor will continue to employ you when he finds out you’ve been arrested for domestic violence since that’s the main thing his campaign was based on? I don’t think he’d be too happy with his assistant being a piece of shit who beats on his wife and has attempted to hurt his three year old son. Get the fuck out before I make the call. I’m not fucking playing games with you, Martin,” I tell him, bending over to get in his face to keep my voice low and filled with the promise of my words to him.

Martin can’t stand me because of the fact that I can beat the fuck outta him and I don’t take his shit. I’ve never liked him and he knows it. Martin also doesn’t like me because I’m not someone he can control. I don’t bow down to his demands and cower in his presence. If you ask me, Martin is nothing more than a pathetic, little bitch and he will never put his hands on my sister again if I have my way.

“You wouldn’t dare,” he says, finally pushing up off the floor that’s covered in my sister’s blood and stands before me.

“Yeah, I would,” I assure him, pulling my phone from my pocket and unlocking it.

Martin doesn’t hesitate to leave the house. He throws over his shoulder that this shit isn’t over and he’ll be back for his family. That they’ll never leave him. The last threat is against me as he states that he’ll kill me if I ever attempt to get in between his wife and him again. I follow Martin to the door of the house and watch him leave the driveway while taking out the mailbox at the end of the driveway and a bush before he squeals his tires in his attempt to get the hell away from me. When he’s finally out of sight, I step back in my sister’s house and close the door behind me making sure to lock the deadbolt and handle so he can’t sneak back in while we’re still here. I make my way back into the kitchen to find my sister slumped on the floor in front of the sink with her head bowed so she’s not looking at me or baby G.

“Kelsey, you know you can’t stay with him any longer. He just beat the fuck outta you, again. Do you even realize that baby G is watching the entire thing? He’s standing just outside the doorway of the kitchen with tears streaming down his face. It’s time, Kelsey. You know it’s time. I have a card for a group out of Clinton City who can help. They’ll get you out of here and away from Martin. From what I understand, they’ll help you get back on your feet and will make sure you and Gideon are always protected,” I tell her, my voice begging her to let me finally get her out of here and away from Martin before he kills her. There’s no other way this ends for my sister and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen.

“Okay,” Kelsey finally whispers as I pull out the card from the pocket of my jeans along with my phone.

I rest my hand on Kelsey’s knee as I dial the number on the card and wait for someone to answer. My sister doesn’t move an inch and I know she’s in immense pain from the way her breathing is labored and how she’s holding her body.

“Can I help you?” a deep male voice answers the phone. It’s so deep and rugged that a tremor runs through me from the sound alone.

“I need help for my sister,” I say, not wanting to give too many details over the phone in case there are bugs in the house allowing Martin to hear shit he doesn’t deserve to know.

“Just your sister?” the voice asks, immediately alert.

“No. Nephew as well,” I respond, my voice barely above a whisper at this point.

“Send a message to this phone number with the address. How far from Clinton City are you located?” the voice asks me, making me feel things I’ve never felt in my life.

“Less than an hour. What do I need to do?” I return, not sure of the next steps other than knowing I’m not leaving my sister alone.

“Grab all important paperwork and anythin’ of value. Keep the items you bring as limited as possible and keep them in a pile. When the team gets there for extraction, they’ll go through everythin’ to make sure no bugs have been planted,” he says as I nod my head in response despite him not being able to see him.

“I’ll get it all taken care of. Should I clean up my sister before you get here?” I question, wanting to take care of her anyway possible.

“No. We’ll need it for the pictures. Do you have a weapon on you in case the attacker returns?”

“No. He won’t as long as he sees my car outside. How will we know your team is here?” I question, not ready to open the door for just anyone when it comes to my sister and nephew.

“We’re members of the Fallen Brethren MC. Everyone will be wearin’ a cut. What’s your name?”

“Kendell. When your people get here, have whoever comes to the door tell me Hawk,” I state, laughter filling the other end of the phone. “Did I say something funny?”

“Yes, you did. It doesn’t matter. We’ll see you soon, Kendell,” the man says before hanging up. The way he says my name excites me in a way that’s different to anything I’ve ever experienced.

How the fuck can I be turned on by nothing more than a voice over the phone in a time like this? Shaking my head, I begin gathering everything he said to as Gideon follows me through the house. It’s a good thing the only thing Kelsey has ever hidden from me is the extent of the abuse she suffered at Martin’s hands. I grab everything I was told to bring and set it all on the table before going to Gideon’s room and grabbing his blanket and the stuffed hawk I got when he was born. Everything else can be left behind and Kelsey can buy new shit once she gets settled somewhere new. This is all just material shit and doesn’t mean anything at the end of the day.

Hawk

Hearing the soft, melodic voice with a hint of sass and attitude on the other end of the phone has my cock rock hard and it’s the worst time for that shit to happen. I’ve been in my office at the clubhouse working on some security shit when the phone for the domestic violence program we started rang. I don’t ever hesitate to answer that phone and it’s always with me. I’m the first point of contact for anyone who has managed to get their hands on one of our cards. We’ve left them all over the place and don’t keep them from anyone because you never know when someone is going to need help getting out of a bad situation.

What makes it even worse is that Kendell wants whoever goes up to the door to say ‘hawk’ so she knows it’s one of our extraction teams. She has no clue that’s my road name so it was funny that’s the safe word she chose to give me without me even asking for one. The main thing I took away from the short conversation is that she is overly cautious and not willing to give up any information if she doesn’t absolutely have to. This isn’t a woman who’s willing to risk her sister and nephew for any reason and she doesn’t know who the fuck I am. So, I really can’t blame her for the hesitation and lack of information I was given over the phone.

After hanging up, I wait for the text message to come through while grabbing my gun and leaving my office. Eagle is coming down the hallway toward me and I grab him before going to Reaper’s office. Eagle’s my older brother and if he’s not on a run, I always put him on point in the extraction team when we get one of these calls. My brother knows how to be soft and gentle when it’s needed for the victims while still beating a bitches ass if an attacker returns to the scene. Knocking on Reaper’s door, the phone pings to let me know the address has been sent through. We don’t have much time to put a team together and get them on their way. Plus, someone will have to get rooms ready at the warehouses for the new arrivals.

“What’s up, Hawk?” Reaper asks as I step in his office with Eagle following behind me.

“Got a call. Need an extraction. This one is less than an hour away. Woman called for her sister and nephew. I don’t know any information because she was hesitant to say anythin’ over the phone,” I inform Reaper and my brother.

Eagle sits up straighter in the chair he took next to me and I have his full attention now. This is the shit we live for and the shitty thing is we would’ve never started this program if it weren’t for Savage joining our club. He brought this idea to us and we’ve expanded and made it our own over the last year or so.

“Okay. Who do you want, Eagle?” Reaper questions as I turn to face my brother.

“Before you make any decisions, you need to be the one to go to the door. The woman who called gave me a safe word so she’d know it was someone from here. You have to say hawk,” I tell my brother as he looks at me with a smirk on his face.

I know that fucking look and this isn’t gonna end well for me.

“I’m gonna take Titan, Kidd, Tripp, Rubber, and my baby brother with me,” my brother says, not looking away from me as Reaper starts laughing his ass off.

“Why the fuck would she give you that as a safe word?” my President questions me.

“I have no clue. What I know is that it’s what I was told and I started laughing on the phone with her. She gave me an attitude wantin’ to know what was funny,” I inform them as my brother bursts out laughing so hard he bends over while still in his chair.

“Match made in fuckin’ Heaven if you ask me,” Eagle finally manage to say through another fit of laughter.

I can’t help but scowl at my brother. He knows I’m not looking for anything permanent despite my reaction to the voice on the other end of the phone.

“Fine. Let’s fuckin’ go. Kendell said that the guy won’t return as long as he sees her car there, but I don’t trust that shit. I’ll get the other guys around while you gather your shit. I’ve got my gun already. I’m ready to ride,” I tell him, getting out of my chair and plugging the address into my GPS while I head out in search of everyone else going with us.

Pulling up to the house in a quiet suburban neighborhood, you’d never know the atrocities hiding behind closed doors. This isn’t the first time we’ve been through this and it definitely won’t be the last. Our group parks our bikes in front of the house and quickly shut off our engines. There’s no car parked in the driveway and only one car parked a few houses down. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess it’s Kendell’s car. More questions fill my mind as I wonder why the fuck she doesn’t park in the driveway. I lead the group up to the front door, looking at everything around us the entire time. There isn’t a single twitch of a curtain and it looks as if no one’s home considering how dark it is inside the house. I knock on the door as the rest of the guys surround me at a safe distance so we don’t overwhelm anyone inside. The last thing we want to do is scare these women and the child. They’ve been through enough and we’re not going to add to it.

“Who’s there?” comes a muffled voice I instinctively know is Kendell.

“Hawk,” I state, a smile on my face as I wonder who this woman is and what she’s going to look like.

I listen as the deadbolt and handle unlock before the door slowly opens a small crack. A bright emerald eye looks through the tiny opening at me before carefully opening the door even more. Standing before me is the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen in my life. She stands at just over five feet tall with long, dark red hair that’s an auburn color. Her eyes sparkle in the light coming from outside and are the most amazing emerald color I’ve ever seen. Her skin is covered in a slight tan and I notice a speckling of freckles covering her nose and cheeks as I continue to take in her appearance. Her body is toned with curves in all the right places. She’s wearing a pair of jean shorts that barely cover her ass allowing me to see tattoos covering a good portion of her right leg. The crop top she’s wearing does nothing to hide her ample chest and a few more tattoos on the side of her neck and arms. Like I said sexy as fuck! Exactly my type of woman but I don’t do relationships and that’s what this woman screams. She’s not a one and done girl at all. I’ll be keeping my distance for sure.

“Are you the one I talked to on the phone?” she questions as a blush creeps up her chest to her neck and finally her face.

“I am. My name is Hawk. Now you can see why I laughed when you chose that as your safe word. Are you Kendell?” I ask, waiting for her to respond as she nods. “The men behind me are in the Fallen Brethren with me. Can we come in the house and see what we have goin’ on?” I ask her, not making a move as she finally lets her gaze roam over me from the top of my head down to my boots and back up again. I can see the lust in her eyes when they finally meet mine once more.

“Of course. I haven’t cleaned up my sister and I’ve gathered everything you said to. Is my nephew able to bring a stuffed animal and his blanket with him? Those two things are the most important possessions in this house and he has never been separated from those two things since the day he was born?” she asks, love shining through as she speaks about her nephew, while stepping back and allowing us to enter her sister’s home.

“Absolutely. We don’t want to disturb them anymore than we already are. This isn’t gonna be an easy move to make as it is. If your sister has anythin’ she needs to bring with her, she’s welcome to. We just don’t want to have a lot of stuff in case we need to leave immediately. Our first priority is your sister and nephew,” I assure her as we all follow Kendell into the kitchen.

Other than the room being trashed, I don’t see anything at first. It’s not until I take a second look around the room that I find a younger woman almost identical to Kendell slumped on the floor against the cabinet under the sink. Her head is hanging with her strawberry blonde hair covering her face. What I can see of her hair is enough to make me see red though. The woman’s hair is matted with blood. There’s also blood all over the floor in front of the sink and covering the skin that’s exposed of the woman.

Kendell goes over and crouches down in front of her, but is careful to move slow and not speak above a whisper so the rest of us can’t hear. Off to the side, I find a little boy standing and trying to hide in the shadows of the hallway. He’s holding a blanket and stuffed animal tightly to his chest with his little thumb in his mouth. His hair is the same strawberry blond as the woman’s and his eyes are a startling, bright blue. From this distance, I can’t see if he’s got freckles or not, but I do take in the tears streaming down his sweet, innocent little face. With slow steps, I make my way over to him and crouch down so I’m on his level and not towering above him.

“Hey, little man,” I say, keeping my voice soft and gentle. “Do you wanna go in the living room with me?”

I watch as interest sparks to life in his eyes before he shifts to look at his aunt as she stands from in front of her sister. Kendell helps the young woman to her feet and she still can’t stand up straight. Rage fucking fills me as I get my first glimpse of all the injuries covering this young woman’s body. She’s been beaten to fucking hell and can barely move an inch without wanting to scream out in pain. However, she keeps her mouth shut and it tells me all I need to know as to how long this has been going on. Eagle steps up to her with a camera and begins to walk her through what’s about to happen. She listens to him carefully as Kendell makes her way over to me.

“Gideon, this is Hawk. Can you say hi?” she asks him, crouching down next to me as the little boy turns his attention to me once again.

“Hi,” his sweet little voice comes from around his thumb and I get a slight wave as he looks down at his stuffed animal. “Hawk?”

“Yes, baby G. That’s a hawk,” Kendell answers him as I smile realizing that’s exactly what he’s holding in his hands.

Before either one of us can say or do anything, the little boy removes his thumb from his mouth and lifts his arms up toward me. Looking at Kendell for permission, she stares at her nephew in complete shock while nodding her head in response. I lift him into my arms and hold him close to my chest as I turn him from the scene in the kitchen. He doesn’t need to watch my brother taking pictures of all of his mom’s injuries or watch as Titan goes through everything on the table to make sure there aren’t any bugs or tracking devices in anything. He’ll make sure nothing is on Gideon or his mom either before we leave. It’s happened before and we learned a lesson from that particular situation. It’s one of the main reasons we decided to stop keeping the people we help in individual houses and buy out the warehouses to keep everyone together and have better security and shit for them.

Stepping in the living room, I don’t see any toys or anything for Gideon. More rage fills me as I get an even clearer picture of what life is like in this house. While the rest of the guys take care of everything else, I sit with Gideon as Kendell stands directly between her sister and nephew to make sure nothing is gonna happen to either one of them. This woman is protective as fuck of them and it only makes me want to get to know her even more. For the first time in my life, I want to know everything there is to know about a woman and I haven’t even fucked her or gotten any kind of taste.

“Kendell, can you walk me through what you walked in on?” I ask, needing to know what we’re dealing with here.

“Yeah. Um, I just lost my job and thought I’d come visit my sister and nephew while Martin, her husband, was still at work. We don’t see eye to eye and can’t stand one another for obvious reasons. Plus, he knows I’ll put him on his ass like I did today and not think twice about doing so. Anyway, when I got up to the house, I realized Martin’s car was parked in the driveway. He works for the mayor here and should’ve been at work instead of here at the house with them. The second thing I noticed was that the door wasn’t shut all the way so I rushed inside and found absolute chaos,” she explains, her voice cracking and breaking with emotion as she walks me through what she knows happened here. “I watched as he slammed my sister’s face off the counter right in front of the sink and he wouldn’t have stopped there if I hadn’t pulled him off her.

“I told him to get the fuck out of the house because it’s my sister’s house. This place is in her name only. I threatened to call the police on him and tell the mayor exactly what I walked in on. His entire campaign is centered around stopping domestic violence. That’s what got Martin to finally leave. He walked out as I followed him, spewing insults and threats the entire way. Telling me they’ll never get away from him and that kind of shit. The last thing he said was that if I attempted to stop him from coming home or getting to his wife and son again, he’d kill me. I could hear her screaming outside before I even got close to the door before hearing things shattering on the floor,” she tells me, her voice finally breaking all the way as she allows herself to break down and cry.

Not letting go of Gideon, I wrap my free arm around Kendell and pull her into my side. She buries her face against my shoulder the best she can. Gideon reaches up and presses his little hand against her cheek and leans in closer to his aunt.

“Kendell, I hate to say this, but you need to go with us. We’ll keep you on the compound and put your sister and nephew in the warehouses with everyone else we take out of these situations. I don’t believe this Martin fucker will let you off the hook and will use you to get his wife and son to come back to him. Then, he’ll have all three of you in his grasp. You might be able to make him afraid, but if you can’t break free, anythin’ you know or say isn’t gonna help or save you. Are you willin’ to come with us?” I ask her, needing her to know that she’s truly in danger and this is a real scenario that she could find playing out.

“I’ll go. I’ve got nothing here but my sister and nephew. If you’re removing them from here, then there’s no reason for me to stay behind,” she tells me, sitting back up but not leaving the comfort and safety of my arm.

“Do we need to get you to your house to get anythin’?” I question her, adjusting Gideon on my lap as he starts to fall asleep in my arms.

“No. I’ve got a bag in my trunk that contains all of my important paperwork. I packed it a week ago for some reason and just had this feeling that I would need it with me at all times. I’ve got a little money I can use to get clothes and stuff once I’m settled. Will I be able to see my sister and nephew if we’re in different places?” she asks, looking in the kitchen where her sister is finally being led our way with Eagle’s arm around her in support.

Titan has their belongings and I know he’s already checked her for tracking devices and shit. Now we have to get Gideon and Kendell checked out before we can leave. Standing from the couch, I nudge Kendell forward as Titan does his thing. He explains to her what he’s looking for as she stands completely still. Once he’s done with her, she moves out of the way so I can move forward. Gideon’s eyes are closed and he’s cuddled into my chest as I hold him tight. Titan still checks him over and gives me a nod once he’s done to let me know we’re ready to head out.

“How are we getting out of here? I only see bikes outside?” Kendell asks, letting Titan and Kidd walk in front of her.

Tripp and Rubber are in front of Eagle and Kendell’s sister. I walk behind everyone and keep a close eye on our surroundings.

“Can your car make the trip?” I ask Kendell as I realize she’s right. Greg never showed up with the SUV. He was supposed to stop for gas and then continue on to follow us. “Where the fuck is Greg?”

“I don’t have a clue. He should’ve been here by now,” Eagle states, trying to keep the anger from his voice as I keep looking around.

“My car will make the trip and I’ve got a full tank of gas,” she finally answers me as we all change direction and make our way to her car.

After getting everyone inside, we make sure their doors are locked before walking slow enough as Kendell drives up closer to our bikes. Before closing the door after putting Gideon in his car seat, I told her that we’d surround the car and to let us worry about traffic and anyone who might possibly follow us. The rest of us quickly get on our bikes and immediately start the engines while putting our helmets on. I motion for Kendell to pull out so we can surround her. She does without hesitation and allows us to get around her car. I make sure I’m on the driver’s side so I can keep a close eye on her. In seconds, we pull out of her sister’s neighborhood and everything we still have to do fills my mind. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on one of the extraction teams and I’m glad I was on this one. Though, I do have a feeling this is going to change my entire life forever.